Death and the Light
by technicoloredsevyn
Summary: Nico is your ordinary son of Hades, drifting through life- until a mysterious new girl shows up at camp, chased by invisible pursuers. After hearing Hestia claim the new camper is not a demigod, Nico can't leave the mystery alone. A/N: This story was created to placate my need for Nico to not end up cold and alone, until Rick sees fit to address this issue.
1. Chapter 1

The crisp evening air nipped at Nico's hands. It was midsummer, but the Northeast had been hit with a freak storm system that was dumping rain and arcing lightning across the tri-state area. Of course, it couldn't possibly be a natural event, Nico knew. He wondered vaguely which god was pissed off and how it would affect him. Hopefully only by the weather.

He continued trudging up the hill, preferring to make a polite entrance to camp, instead of showing up out of nowhere like usual. However, unlike usual, he was not alone on Halfblood hill. Running up the far side was a girl of medium height, slight build, and long deep brown hair. Why Nico bothered to notice so much when the girl was obviously fleeing for her life, he didn't really want to know. He couldn't see what she was running from- which bothered him. If his life was in danger, he'd rather know what it was he'd be up against.

The girl made it to the crest of the hill and collapsed. Nico dashed the last ten yards, scanning the landscape for the source of terror. He still couldn't see anything. The hill was devoid of monsters.

"Who are you?!" the girl panted. Her voice was strong and richer than Nico had expected. She couldn't be older than he was.

"A friend. What were you running from?" he asked, trying to keep a calm tone to his voice.

The girl surveyed him with large, violet, skeptical eyes. "What were _you_running from?"

Nico thought this was an obvious question, "Whatever you were running from!" he didn't like the unappreciative tone of her voice, but he extended a hand and helped her to her feet. She staggered. "We should get you to Chiron, he's the camp director. You don't look well." He blushed a bit, feeling a little uneasy about having this girl's arm around his shoulder.

"Thanks."

Nico was pretty sure there was sarcasm in that statement.

"So. What's your name, hero?"

Nico knew he'd have a hard time getting used to the heavily concealed sarcasm in this girl's voice. "Nico di Angelo. Son of Hades. Hero. That's me." he sighed.  
The girl made a sound that Nico could have sworn was a giggle, "My name is Estella Riqueñita Annette de Montoya. You can call me Es." she tripped a bit and almost toppled them both.

Nico stifled a grunt as he caught her weight, "Maybe we should save introductions until we get you to Chiron." It was a few hours after dinner, and Nico was sure most of the camp would be settling in for the night, before curfew kicked in and the harpies could eat you. He was hoping someone would see them and help get this girl- Es- to the Big House. Like Percy. Nico really would have liked to see Percy right about now.

They stumbled down the hill slowly, and finally arrived at the porch of the Big House. Nico prayed that Mr. D was not around. But maybe he'd be asleep by now. He knocked on the front door, having not seen anyone playing cards on the porch. After a few seconds, the door popped open, and Chiron peeked out, seated in his wheelchair.

"Nico! It's been a while. I wondered when you'd come around again," he smiled warmly, and then noticed his companion, "Oh my- who is this?"  
Es gasped slightly, letting go of Nico, "My name is Estella Riq-"

"This is Es, I found her on top of Halfblood hill. Dunno any more than that, but she seems to be injured." He ignored Es' glare. Her name was just too long.

"Es. Es. Well, welcome. Come in, let me see what I can do for you."

/

Es was a little shaken. She didn't want to tell this Nico kid what was chasing her. She didn't want him to know why he couldn't see what she did. And she didn't know what this Chiron guy could do for her. She wasn't hurt, just exhausted.

"Why don't you sit down-" Chiron rolled over to a table and waved his hand toward a chair. Nico walked behind her, as if she were about to fall. Sure she was a little unstable earlier, but- "Are you injured at all?" Es blushed. Nico had helped her all the way down here, but she wasn't really hurt. She decided to lie.

"I think I may have sprained my ankle..." she murmured, glad that Nico had decided to sit too.

Chiron nodded, "You may have. However, that can be looked at in a moment. First and foremost-" here he turned his gaze to Nico, "What brings you here?"

"Just visiting..." Nico blushed. Es thought that was kind of adorable. But she couldn't afford to think about random guys she just met. Especially not handsome ones.

"Hmm. I see." Chiron looked back at her. She tried not to feel too uncomfortable. She knew what she was getting into- kind of. "And what brings you here?" His eyes pierced hers, though not to accuse her. She sensed he was genuinely curious. She wondered if he knew that she didn't belong at this camp.

"Safety." Best to keep her answer simple. It was true enough.

Es watched Chiron's eyes. His expression didn't change, but she saw a shift in his vision. It was as though he were looking into her- inside her- trying to figure out what she was. Of course, it would be assumed that she's a halfblood. Obviously she isn't a god. And she made it here without help, so she couldn't be mortal. And yet Es had the feeling that Chiron knew that she wasn't a halfblood. Not really.

"Alright. Let me look at your ankle. Nico-" he added, almost second hand, "Will you show her to Hermes cabin? She should only need to stay there one night, if her godly parent remembers to keep their oath," he mumbled. Thunder rumbled softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chiron's behavior, while pretty classic, didn't bode well. Nico knew something was up. Chiron didn't fully believe Es' story. Not that she had given much of one. 'Safety.' That was a simple enough reason, but there had to be more. There was definitely something different about Es. She didn't give off the demigod vibe that most halfbloods had. If anything, Nico thought she felt more powerful. Maybe a daughter of one of the Big Three. He wondered vaguely if she could be a sister. _I hope not._ "Gods, why did I have to think that?" He blushed, exasperated by the lack of control he had over his thoughts. She _was_quite pretty. Not that it mattered.

He stood up and stepped quietly toward the door. Show Es the Hermes Cabin. Make sure she doesn't exacerbate her ankle injury. Get her some food. As something of an Ambassador rather than a camper, Nico had some privilages at camp. But those came with a lot of responsibilities in the form of 'it's your duty.' Most of them were tedious. He knocked on the door and slowly turned the handle. "Es, I'm going to show you Hermes cabin." He waited for a response. Nothing. _Maybe she fell asleep?_Nico pushed the door open further- to an empty bed. And an open window.

"Not good."

As soon as Chiron left, Es had made a decision. There was a fire, and at the fire would be someone with whom she had to speak. They had said so.  
She felt bad lying to Chiron, but not that bad. Lying about her ankle was nothing compared to- to what? She wasn't a halfblood. But she had to come here. Not a halfblood. _What _am_ I?_And that was why she needed to get to the fire. "Hestia." The one goddess that, most likely, would not immediately incinerate her. Ironic, considering she's goddess of the hearth.

The window had been propped open at her request, letting the chilly breeze spread across the room. And preparing an escape route. It was easy to squeeze through the gap between the glass and sill- leaving the room, including the window, just as it had been. Nothing to make them think she ran for it. She might even be able to get back in before morning without anyone noticing. Except that Nico was supposed to show her to Hermes cabin. Es recalled this last bit _after_she was already halfway to the dying campfire. Oh well.

She didn't particularly care. Something told her that Nico wouldn't take direct action about her disappearance. Maybe because he already seemed to have nailed her personality. With those cool dark eyes. Messy black hair. Strong lean arms. And his soft-looking lips.

Es froze in her tracks for a moment. Stupid hormones. But she really couldn't help it. In looks, at least, he was her type down to his pale skin and thin dark lashes. Es clutched her head in frustration "Not the time, not the time! Focus!" she whispered to herself.

The small fire was just ahead, at the far side of the amphitheater. A small, dark figure flickered in the shadows. In a few seconds, Es would finally get some answers.

"Gotcha." A cool hand clamped over her mouth and she felt an arm tighten around her waist. She struggled for a moment before she recognized the voice. "We need to get you inside. It's almost curfew." Nico removed his hand from her mouth.

"I have an appointment with Hestia, thank you."

Nico was stunned. "Appointment?"

"Yes." Es turned haughtily away, and continued down to the uppermost steps of the amphitheater. "How'd you catch me? I didn't hear you at all." She resigned herself to the fact that she had been found out. Might as well take him along.

"Shadow travel. I just- kinda popped up behind you?"

Es spinned to face him, eyes wide and glinting in the moonlight, "You can- you mean- _through shadows_?!" she whispered.

She watched Nico's face turn scarlet. Did she intend to be nearly nose to nose with him? Perhaps. "Y-yeah. All shadows are connected and- it's kind of a Son of Hades thing." He was so cute when he was nervous. _No, Es, not the time!_

"That's handy." She went back to working her way down the steps.

/

"Es!" Nico clambered after her. "Wait! Why are-" he managed to grab her hand as she hopped off the last step, half pulling him toward the fire.  
The flames crackled softly, down to a pale orange glow. Nico staggered to regain his balance, fully aware of Es' hand clamped onto his. He blinked, and the outline of a small girl appeared, bent over the dying fire. Nico caught his breath, "Lady Hestia." He bowed. Es followed suit.

"Nico." Hesita turned to greet the two, "I wasn't expecting you." She turned toward Es, "Estella Riqueñita Annette de Montoya. I _have_ been waiting for _you_."

Es choked out a tiny squeak. "Hello, Lady Hestia."

The goddess smiled, "I almost thought you weren't coming." She gestured to a short stone bench that had appeared near the campfire, "Here. Sit."

Nico slipped his hand from Es' and moved around to the bench. He felt like an intruder, or a voyeur, or something like that. Sure he was curious about what was going on with this girl, but meeting like this seemed more secretive than the usual crazy that happened around camp. A goddess meeting with a camper in the dead of night? Not unheard of. A camper having a previously set appointment with a goddess in the dead of night? Olympus didn't work that way.

Nico slid halfway over the end of the bench. It was large enough for two, but Nico wanted the extra space. "I don't bite," Es whispered. Nico wasn't so sure. She made him feel on edge just by being pretty, and her veiled sarcasm didn't make him any more comfortable.

Hestia turned her gaze back to Nico, "I'm not sure you want to be here, Son of Hades. This does not concern you."

Of course it didn't concern him. He was half dragged along. So why was he still sitting here? But he found that he couldn't leave. Too many questions were forming in his mind. "Es is new here, and she's injured. I'm just looking out for her." He held his breath, hoping that was enough of an excuse.

Hestia considered his statement. She trained her eyes back on Es, "Do you mind if he hears?"

"I don't mind. He's already here." her voice quavered, but she held Hestia's gaze.

"Alright, then. Let us consider this meeting open." She conjured a seat for herself. The fire glowed a warm red behind her. "I would first like to say, I am not against you, Estella. Nor am I for you. I believe you have a place in our world, but I do not know where. We must find that place."

Es inhaled deeply. "I understand."

"Within the camp's borders, Ares' sons will not hunt you."

Nico whirled, "That's what you were running from?!" he was mortified. No wonder Es had been running like hell's monsters had escaped and were chasing her.

Nico had seen that first hand. He didn't ever want to see it again.

Es looked at him with wide eyes. He couldn't tell if she wanted him to shut up or- well, maybe his brain was making him see things, but she looked scared.

"May I ask a question, my Lady?" Es spoke softly.

Hestia bowed her head curtly, gentle flames curling in her eyes.

"Do you- know what I am?" her voice was strained and earnest.

"You are dangerous."

Obviously that wasn't the answer she had been looking for. Nico felt his chest tighten. He knew what it was like to be labeled as bad for everyone's health. Being the son of the Death god didn't win you any friends. Well- unless you showed up with an army of zombie warriors, but that's another story.

"Am I a demigod?"

Hestia looked truly sad, "No, child."

Es stood up quickly, "Then what _am_ I?!" her fists were clenched, and she looked close to tears. "Phobos and Deimos came after me! You're _Greek_ _gods_ for crying out loud! If I'm not one of you, what _am_I?!"

"She's not a demigod?!" as soon as it was out of his mouth, Nico realized his poor timing.

"We do not know what you are." Hestia's eyes were glowing. Nico could feel the warmth and compassion radiating from the goddess. "But _you_know. Your mother told you. Think. You will remember."

"And when I do, you'll decide what to do with me."

"The gods will, yes."

Es sat down again, and met the goddess' eyes, "But I don't remember what my mother told me."

Hestia shook her head, "Then until you do, we cannot discuss this further."

"But!" Hestia stood, and Es jolted off her seat again, "But how do you know she told me? If you know that, don't you know what she said?"

The goddess' eyes glowed brighter, and Nico sensed that she was no longer feeling so kind. "We may be gods, but that does not make us all-knowing." she turned toward the flames, and they flickered silver-blue, "Your mother told you how you were born. How you came to be. You were a gift. Remember that, Estella."

She vanished, and the campfire faded to glowing coals.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I just wanted to say thanks for the enthusiasm- you are wonderful people. This will probably turn into a fairly long story, so i hope you're game for a lengthy journey. Also- this chapter may be a little slow for some, as it mostly deals with thoughts and emotions. Next chapter should be interesting, as i'll be throwing some familiar characters into the mix :D  
A/N 2: also, i'm going back and adding "/" as a sort of break, since my previous breaks apparently disappeared. Hopefully that'll help the story flow better and not confuse anyone.

* * *

"She could have helped, more." Es trudged back up the amphitheater hill.

"The gods never play by our rules, Es."

Nico was handsome, but he was incredibly annoying. 'Hestia is probably the only kind goddess,' he said. 'She was only trying to help,' he said. And now 'the gods never play by our rules.' Well, duh! She had just had the most important conversation of her life, and what had she learned? Nothing. "Shut up, death boy."

"I prefer 'The Ghost King.'"

Es did a double take, but Nico's face was completely serious. "You're not joking?"

"I can raise the dead at will. So, no. I'm not."

She trudged forward in silence. But not before her eyes began to sting. Of all the people to have tagged along, why did it have to be the gorgeous zombie-controlling, awkward-but-serious boy? This was all too much, and she wasn't surprised when the tears finally came. "I'm calling you death boy anyway, death boy."

Nico stepped in front of her, "You're crying?" his brow was furrowed in concern.

"Yes! I'm crying! Brilliant observation!" she wanted to bite her tongue, but she needed to vent. Nico's shocked expression was almost worth it.

"Was it something I said?" he looked worried and ashamed and sorry all at once. No one alive should be able to do something so terrifying.

Terrifying because it made Es feel even more guilty about snapping at him. He was annoying, but he did seem to care. "Of course not, idiot."

"Hestia did try to help." Nico's cheeks were visibly red.

"I'm sorry, Nico, I just- this is too much!" she headed toward the Big House again, pulling at her hair. "I've been chased for weeks by Greek gods, told I had to meet with a goddess once I got to some crazy camp for children that were half god and half human- what sane person can believe all that?!"

Nico managed to look even more surprised and abashed.

"Oh- well- yeah. You, for one. Everyone here, for another."

"Don't forget miss sneak-out-of-the-house." he mumbled.

Es half laughed, "That the best you got?"

Nico smiled, "Apparently."

They walked in silence until they arrived at Es' window. "Sure you don't want me to show you to Hermes' cabin?" Nico offered.

Es took her time to look over the moon lit valley. "Hey, Nico?"

"Hmm?"

She turned back toward him, and forced herself not to gasp. The star light made his eyes twinkle. Es was not okay with thinking something so mushy. She looked away quickly, "You won't tell anyone?"

Nico twisted the skull ring around his finger, "Your secret's safe with me." he cleared his throat, "But- uh- we won't be able to hide the fact that you glow at night."

Es looked at him in surprise only to find his cheeks rosy red. She thought he was being coy, until she realized that he was slightly more illuminated than when she last looked at him and his cool dark eyes. "What are you talking about?" if she blushed, she couldn't be blamed.

"I- I mean-" he cleared his throat, "that you're actually glowing."

Es held her hand in front of her face. A shallow silver aura radiated off her skin. "What. Is. This." She pulled at her hair, stared at her other hand, her arm, but it was all the same. "Was I doing this the whole time?!" she panicked.

Nico almost panicked with her, "Not the whole time! Not until a second ago- when you were about to ask me something?"

Es felt the color leave her face. The glowing had started when she got embarrassed. Or maybe it was when her heart fluttered. If she was going to glow silver every time Nico made her heart palpitate with his glorious awkwardness, she wasn't sure how she was going to make it through the summer. Except by avoiding the one person that knew her secret. On second thought, that might be a good idea after all.

"Are you alright?" Nico had an eyebrow raised.

"Just help me through the window."

Nico smiled shyly and gave her a boost. She turned to say goodnight, but he was gone. She cursed. "Stupid Death boy and his stupid shadow travel." In the dark room, her glow was more prominent. "Great. I'm my own night light," she groaned, "I'm never going to get to sleep like this."

/

Nico grabbed the doorframe to steady himself. Shadow travel twice in the span of thirty minutes was _not _good for his health. He clambered to get the door open and stepped inside, collapsing on one of two beds. _Twice_. He knew better than to try that. Typically it exhausted him, but right now he was more awake than if he had chugged two of Grover's crazy satyr espressos. He rolled over to look at the ceiling and think.

Did he do it to show off? No. How un-cool would it look to pull a stunt like that and then fall over on the ground asleep? Very. He pressed his palms into his eyes. Estella. One late evening with this mysterious girl and suddenly his brain was fried. And she _glowed._ Not your 'oh, she's so gorgeous it's like she's glowing,' but actually glowing. It kind of reminded Nico of starlight. And it gave off heat. Not sweltering heat like from a fire, but a soft, warm- radiance? Nico had never thought to use the word before, but Es' crazy ability definitely called for it. Being around ghosts and zombies all the time kept Nico in dark, cold places. It was nice to be so close to something softly warm. He wondered what it would feel like to touch her. _WHAT AM I DOING?!  
_

He jumped up and started to pace the room. His head was _not _in the right place. He had just helped an injured girl into camp. An injured girl being chased by Phobos and Deimos. A girl who wasn't a demigod and who glowed. With pretty dark hair, vibrant violet eyes and an elfin face. Gods was she beautiful. _No, Nico. Not the time to think about that!_ He kept trying to force his mind to work out what she could be, if she wasn't a demigod. _An angel._ He slammed his palm into his forehead. Not the answer he was looking for. He felt star-struck and embarrassed.

Nico forced himself to lay down again. He had seen pretty nature spirits before, but he always acted bashful and shy around them. Es made him feel the same way, but she was intimidating and intriguing. Somehow, Nico was able to keep a cool head around her. Or at least pretend to. Maybe that was it. Maybe he had shadow traveled back to the cabin to run away. He groaned and rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. That was definitely it.  
Not a demigod. Meeting with Hestia. Glowed silver. Ridiculously long name. Es was a huge jigsaw puzzle, and Nico was determined to work her out. But with only a mess to go off, help was needed. He kept trying to put pieces together while drifting to sleep, coming to the conclusion that he needed to talk to Percy- and maybe Annabeth- as soon as he could.

/

Morning came slowly, with Nico having tossed and turned, waking up every few hours, until the sun started peaking over the hills. The valley lit up, the grass tinted gold, and a very groggy son of Hades pulled himself out of bed and threw on a change of clothes. He was pretty sure Percy wouldn't be awake at this hour. But he was used to making Percy mad, and with a little explanation, maybe there wouldn't be a death threat this morning. It was nice to have an older brother figure. Most of the time.

He trudged up to cabin number three and knocked loudly on the door. No response. He knocked again, though he knew this approach was not going to work. After more silence, and a loud sigh, Nico walked around the corner of the cabin and looked through the window.

Which was open.

With a sleeping Percy just a few feet away.

Normally, Nico would wait. But today, there was no waiting. Last night had been more than he could take. And if Percy could help him figure things out, well, it would be worth it. That or his lack of sleep was blinding him to his stupid actions. Yeah, that sounded about right.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I want to apologize for the short chapter. I've been experiencing some intense writers block, despite having a plethora of ideas to weave into the plot. I hope this will be enough to hold you over until the next chapter, which, I promise, will be much longer.

* * *

Es woke with a jolt. Strange shadows plagued her dreams, whispering dark words in a language she couldn't understand. There was a blazing flame and a woman with stern, piercing eyes. The woman hadn't said anything, but her expression was clear: death to the intruder. The shadows returned, and all Es had known was darkness, cold, and fear. And then she felt a hand take hers, pulling her up, up, up- until all she could see was sky, and light. Her savior smiled, and she felt herself glow. A moment later the sky tore itself apart with lightning and hail, and a large explosion sent her soaring across- well, she didn't know where.

She wiped sweat from her forehead and tried to calm her breathing. And suddenly she realized- that she was in a bed. Everything from the night before rushed back to her. She was at a camp for children of the Greek gods. A goddess had spoken with her. This was a safe place, for now. And there was Death Boy. Es blushed, remembering her dream. She wondered if somehow Nico had been the boy who had pulled her out of her dark prison. But then she remembered how the sky attacked her, and she pulled the bed sheets over her face.

_This can't be happening._

None of this can be real.

The reality was that Es was supposed to have spent the night in Hermes cabin. Oops. While she could barely process her situation on the whole, she did understand that she had disobeyed Chiron's- stern request. She bounded out of bed and scrambled toward the window. The sun was just about to peek over the hills, and hopefully no one would be awake to see her scamper away from the big house. She could hide behind the cabin for now, couldn't she? Or maybe she should wait in the amphitheater. That was common ground, wasn't it? Except for the fact that the real horrors from last night had happened there.  
Dangerous. That's what Hestia had called her. Es headed toward the top steps.

/

Nico slid a bowl sheltering a bioluminescent flower to the far side of the window sill. The last thing he needed to do was smash a glass bowl of water on his entrance. He gripped the sill and hauled himself up, swinging a leg into the room. He held his breath and waited for Percy to move. He didn't. Nico held in a sigh of relief and swung his other leg over the sill, slipping inside. He moved across to Percy's bedside and stopped short. What was he going to say? 'Hey Percy, I met this girl and helped her into camp, but I don't know what to think of her.' Or maybe 'Hey Percy, see- there's this girl- and Hestia talked to her- and she's really pretty- I mean, Hestia said she's really dangerous- but she's not a halfblood, and-'

Great. Just wonderful. He hadn't thought this through, as usual. Or rather, he thought it through so far that he'd forgotten what his original plan was. Nico took a seat on the floor and watched Percy's chest rise and fall. Maybe he shouldn't start with a question. There was too much to explain before he could even try to get Percy's thoughts on the issue. He sighed, decided to go for it, and pretend he knew what he was doing. Truthful deception, his best skill, and the one that got him into the most trouble. He took a deep breath, and prodded Percy's cheek.

Nothing. Percy was out like a light.

Nico rolled his eyes and looked around for another way to wake him without annoying him too much. And then he remembered the bowl on the window sill. He picked it up, dipped his fingers into it, and flicked the water at Percy's face. It didn't touch him. _Duh, Nico. Son of the Sea god._Time for plan C. He stuck his finger in his mouth and jammed it into Percy's ear.

"AAAUUUGHHH!" A heap of blankets and Percy Jackson crashed to the floor.

Nico squatted next to him and lifted the pillow off his face. "You ok?"

Percy took a moment to collect himself before incoherently slurring what Nico hoped wasn't a death threat. "What're you doing?" he rubbed his eyes and tried to escape from the sheets.

"Waiting for you to wake up. We need to talk."

Percy's eyes got wide and suddenly he didn't look so tired, "what now?"

Nico launched into a lengthy explanation of the previous night. When he started, he tried to leave out certain details, but as he went on he found himself over explaining things. Percy's expressions kept switching between horror, disbelief, amusement, and utter confusion. When Nico finished, he waited for Percy to comment.

He stared at Nico blankly.

"So- uhm- that's, uh… That's it."

Percy took a slow breath, "She's not a demigod. And Hestia had an appointment with her."

For some reason, Nico blushed. "Yeah."

"And she glows."

"Silver, yes."

"And you like her."

"What? No- I-" Nico stumbled over his words. His face felt hot. "I didn't say that."

"Right. Sure. So- we talking apocalypse?" Percy looked half asleep.

"You're not even paying attention." Nico would have been irritated, but he _had_barged into the cabin at sunrise.

Percy yawned and stretched, "Look, it seems like things are ok as long as she's here, right? So we have time to figure things out. It's not the end of the world, for once."

Nico fiddled with the zipper on his aviator's jacket, "I guess."

Percy stood up and held out his hand to Nico. "You should probably talk to Annabeth. I have a feeling she'll be more helpful with this than I am."

Nico followed Percy to the door, "Hey-" Percy turned to face him, "Do you think Chiron knows? I mean, if it's such a big deal to the gods- wouldn't Chiron know?"

Percy shrugged and gave him a grim look before walking out the door.

/

"Hey! Estella?" Es groaned and sat up. She rubbed her shoulder, which had been plastered to the stone steps of the amphitheater. _Great, I fell asleep again._She turned toward the voice that had roused her. "You're Estella, Es, right?" A tall girl with curly blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail smiled at her and held out her hand to shake. Es gripped it and shook.

"Yeah, that's me." she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"My name's Annabeth Chase. Chiron asked me to show you around today." She was still smiling, but Es could tell Annabeth was analyzing her. Smart girl.

"Nice to meet you, Annabeth." She didn't seem ill intentioned, so Es pulled a real smile. Actually, Annabeth seemed pretty cool. "Sorry, you probably had to search around for me."

Annabeth fiddled with a baseball cap, "Nah, it's okay. You didn't sleep well in Hermes cabin, did you?" There was a glint in her eye that told Es she better fess up, stat.

"Uhm- actually- I never went to Hermes cabin. I stayed in the blue farm house up there."

"The Big House? You know, you didn't have to run away in the morning. Chiron would have understood- it sounded like you were pretty hurt."

Es' face got red. It was true that she hadn't been in the best shape the previous night, but it seemed her brain hadn't been in the best shape either. "Not too bad… I felt fine this morning."

"That'd be the nectar and ambrosia." Annabeth gestured toward the cabins, "C'mon, I'll show you around."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, life's been pretty demanding lately, and I've had a lot of writers block... but as promised, here's the next (and longest, so far) chapter :D!  
On a less relevant note, I'd like to add that 1) I recently finished reading MoA! 2) I wanted to share that this whole fanfic was originally inspired by the song "Crystalized" by The xx. I have a whole playlist of songs that will inspire certain parts of the plot... anywho! enjoy! and as always, comments are highly appreciated!

* * *

Es followed Annabeth around in a blind trance. The cabins, which were most certainly _not_ your typical summer camp buildings, came in every architectural style you could imagine, and about a dozen more. There were even cabins still under construction. Annabeth gave detailed commentary for each one, even mentioning a few of the campers' names here and there, but Es didn't pay much attention. She heard Annabeth point out Athena's cabin, "That's where I sleep," but didn't register what she had said until they were past it. Annabeth mentioned something about her boyfriend, some guy named Peter. Or was it Perry? 'P' something or another. It should have been important, but Es was still half asleep.

They continued the tour, until Es noticed a strange green light out of the corner of her eye. Without realizing, she stopped to take another look at a black-walled cabin.

"Oh- that's- well, you don't want to go near that cabin." Annabeth seemed uncomfortable with Es' curiosity, "I mean, unless you're a daughter of Hades. But somehow I don't think you are."

Es stood transfixed. Hades' cabin. She felt her face getting hot.

"Uhm, Estella?" Annabeth tapped her shoulder, "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Es turned, expecting to see a smirk on Annabeth's face, as though the older girl would know what she was thinking, like so many would. But instead, Annabeth appeared utterly perplexed, and her eyes kept flitting over Es' body. Analyzing again.

"See, usually demigods only glow like that when they've been blessed by a god. But this doesn't look like any blessing I've ever heard about."

_Right. Think of Nico, start glowing. Got to stop doing that._ "It's not."

Annabeth waited for a longer explanation.

"That's all I know." Es said, fidgeting with her shirt hem.

"Oh." Annabeth left it at that, and continued their tour, "So it's happened before?"

_Great. I thought she was going to drop it_. But she knew she couldn't lie. If Es remembered correctly, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, and Annabeth looked the furthest thing from stupid. "Once. Last night."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

_And now she expects an explanation._ "You're a very curious person, aren't you?"

"I like to stay well informed," Annabeth grinned.

/

Percy and Nico sat outside the dining pavilion. It was too early for breakfast, but Nico quickly realized that Percy was not waking up as quickly as he had hoped, and therefore was losing the little motivation he had for locating Es and Annabeth at half-past sunrise. "You really don't think this is even a _little_ important?" He knew he was whining, but he was disappointed in Percy's behavior.

"I didn't say that." Percy rubbed his eyes, "I just don't think it's the end of the world, for once! And that's great!" He spread his hands apologetically, "This seems more like a puzzle. And while I'm smarter than I look, Annabeth is better at this sort of thing."

Nico looked at him balefully. "You're upset that I woke you up."

Percy yawned. "Nico, you probably do that to me more than anyone else I know. I'm used to it."

Nico rested his head in his hands. Percy was right. And not just about how often Nico wakes him up over important information. But, maybe Percy was also right about the importance of the info Nico brought him this morning. Es was just another kid one or more gods wanted to wipe off the face of the earth. Granted, most demigods only inspired that kind of wrath in one or two gods in a lifetime. One or two, yet Es had almost all of them against her. And she wasn't a demigod. That alone made Nico feel uneasy. Sure, it was only common sense to think that if the Greek gods existed, other gods existed, and therefore other kids with weird powers. Nico was good friends with an Egyptian god not much older than himself. Of course, no one was allowed to know about that. Styx, originally no one was supposed to know about the Roman camp, but Nico did. There were perks to having no roots- lots of freedom, for one. But the only home he had was in the Underworld. And he was still alive. Talk about staring death in the face. Which Nico had done both figuratively and literally. And personally, but that's a long story.

Percy elbowed Nico. "Hey- do you see that?" He pointed toward the cabins. Nico wasn't sure what he was supposed to notice at first, but then- "Something's glowing silver- but the moon set, so it's not Artemis' cabin." Percy turned curiously toward Nico, "and it's near Hades' cabin, but those flames are green, right?"

Nico ignored the question. He stood up and tugged at Percy's shirt, then looked back with a grin. "I told you she glowed."

/

The last thing Es expected was to see Nico and a really cute older guy round the corner. Es also didn't expect Annabeth to smile like crazy and (very professionally) stop herself from running over to him. Now if only she could remember his name…

"Sleep well?"

Es almost tripped over her own feet. She had been pretty distracted by the happy couple and forgot Nico was also walking her way. She looked up and- oh boy. His hair was expertly disheveled, and his shirt looked fashionably worn out, but it was his smile that floored her.

Annabeth cleared her throat. "So. Do you only glow around Nico?" Annabeth wasn't smirking. She looked genuinely curious. The older guy, however, was trying not to fall over laughing. Es wasn't too happy about that. In fact, she wasn't sure why it was so funny. Nico didn't seem thrilled, either.

She decided to play things straight, "So far, yes."

Annabeth had a gleam in her eye like she was analyzing a tough puzzle. She started to walk around Es, and occasionally glance over at Nico. "I gather there's a lot more to this story."

"That's why we came to find you." Percy (_That was his name_) said to Annabeth. He followed his statement with cupping his hand over his mouth, resorting to physically covering up his laughter. It wasn't a mean laugh, more so incredulous, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and he found it both awesome and hysterical. He kept giving Nico sidelong glances and tried not to chortle. Nico finally turned around and told him to shut up. He was blushing.

That made Es happy.

Until she saw Annabeth smirk, accompanied by The Look. Every girl knows The Look. That tiny sparkle in another girl's eye when she realizes 'So, you like that guy, huh?' So much for keeping secrets. Although considering Percy's statement earlier, Es gathered Nico hadn't tried too hard to keep her secrets either. "You must be Percy." _Please let that be his name._

Percy composed himself long enough to pull a mischievous smile and shake hands, "Occasional camp counselor, Percy Jackson, at your service." His easy nature made Es calm down. Percy and Annabeth seemed like trustworthy people- unlike a certain Death Boy.

Nico was twisting his silver skull ring around his finger pretty fast, like he was waiting to be chewed out. It occurred to Es that maybe that happened a lot. She was going to razz him by quoting his promise to her, but instead she turned to him and said "Necessary reinforcements?"

Nico appeared slightly abashed, but looked at her with sympathetic eyes before uttering a soft but blatant, "Yeah."

He was so cute.

"Hey, Es?" Percy was shading his eyes with his hand, "can you, uh, turn it down a bit?"

Annabeth was laughing now, and Nico was blushing and looking everywhere but at Es.

_Just lovely._ She tried to imagine working on math homework in her head. Anything uber tedious to calm her down. She took a deep breath, then looked at her hand. _Much better._ "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Annabeth smiled and gestured down to the beach, "We still have some time before breakfast, would you mind filling me in? Then maybe we can help you control your-" she paused, obviously grasping for a word, "_ability_."

/

Nico felt exhausted. Being around Es affected him a lot like shadow travel. Everything felt like it was rushing past him in a blur while being completely off balance. He was mesmerized by her hair, her eyes, the soft warmth and glow she radiated. He could only catch bits of the conversation, would nod when Es looked his way for confirmation. He was finally jolted out of his stupor when Es got around to telling Annabeth that Hestia had called her "dangerous" and how her mother supposedly told her what she was. Es had that wide eyed look on again, and this time Nico was sure she was scared. He wanted to say something to comfort her but-

Percy was staring at him from the corner of his eye. When Nico met his gaze, Percy looked back at Es, "Can't you just go ask your mom?" It was a very Percy-like solution.

Es stopped herself from pulling a face. "Sure. I'll just grow wings, fly up, and visit her in heaven."

That shut Percy up, but he looked really sympathetic. "Sorry, I didn't know." Nico had almost forgotten how sharp her tongue could be.

Annabeth was staring Nico down, waiting for him to chime in.

He really didn't want to. Percy and Annabeth had both visited more places in the Underworld than most heroes could even dream about. And Nico? He stayed in his father's domain too often. Of course Es could visit "heaven." Nico could even try to summon her mother's spirit. But looking at her, trying so hard to be strong and courageous, he couldn't bring himself to admit to anything. The pain of seeing a deceased loved one like that… It was too much.

"You're twisting your ring again." Es was looking up at him through her eyelashes. She was wearing a sad expression, but she looked so pretty, like a porcelain doll. It made him catch his breath. "You do that a lot, don't you?"

"I-" Nico tried to compose himself and stopped twisting the skull around his finger, "Yeah, I guess I do." He glanced back at Annabeth. Her look told him she was contemplating telling Es the possibilities soon, if Nico didn't do it himself. "Maybe you don't need to ask her." He forced the sentence out quickly, "Hestia said that you already knew the answer."

Percy grimaced, "Hera told me that once."

Nico thought he knew where Percy was going with this. That answer had caused Percy and Annabeth a lot of- _personal_ trouble.

Es kept fidgeting with her hands. Nico had the urge to hold them. _But let's not think about that right now._ She glanced at him and he thought he read her message. There was _something_ she remembered, but it wasn't something Es wanted to talk about. Nico decided to shift the topic, "What about Chiron? Do you think he knows?"

Annabeth shrugged, "I don't know. He usually hears about most of the happenings on Olympus, but is this important enough?"

"I think he knows _something_," Es chimed in, "But he didn't say anything. And he acted like I was just a new camper."

Annabeth was in deep thought, now. "So this really is just personal?" She exchanged a glance with Percy. "But that doesn't mean we won't help."

The conch horn for breakfast sounded in the distance. She offered her hand to Es, "After breakfast, we'll go and talk to Chiron. He might know more than he's letting on."


End file.
